Take It To The Grave (But Please Don't)
by Artemis08Luna
Summary: Oliver got whammied by a meta that took "and the truth will set you free" to a whole new level. He's left with two choices: confess or die.


_AN: This is a KARIVARRY (Kara/Barry/Oliver) story. This is not Kara/Barry, Kara/Oliver, Oliver/Barry, but all three of them together. THANK YOU._

 _Just to make things clear: I am a WRITER. My interests have always been in the literary form, so science really isn't my strong suit but I TRIED to make the medical jargon not be much jargon._

 _WARNING: autoimmune diseases are sort of discussed._

* * *

Oliver had been through hell in five years on an island. He'd been through pain and torture like you wouldn't believe.

But even _he_ had to admit that whatever it was the meta did to him _hurt_.

The IV fluid and the medication Caitlin had pumping into Oliver's system was only marginal help to his overall condition. He honestly didn't understand what was going on. He didn't feel like passing out — in fact he hasn't passed out since the meta whammied him — but it felt like he was on fire; his head ached, his eyes watered and his mouth was _burning_.

"He hasn't said anything," Kara said worriedly, leaning against one of the tables in the cortex of S.T.A.R. Labs.

"Caitlin—" Barry started to say but the doctor herself cut him off.

"Barry, I already told you: it's up to Oliver to get himself out of this."

Barry's eyes were flooded with tears as both his hands ran through his hair, as if the mere action would ease his mind from overloading.

As if the mere action would save Oliver.

Kara wasn't faring any better, in fact she looked like she was on the brink of losing it, which she probably was, seeing as she was slowly destroying one of the S.T.A.R. Labs computers. Even Cisco did not have the bravery (or stupidity) to stop her because of the distraught rage that was plain to see on her face.

"You heard what the meta said," she said, an octave lower than her usual high and happy tone. "If he doesn't tell us what he's supposed to, he's just—" She choked at the idea, "—gonna get worse."

"Why don't you tell it how it is, Kara?" Barry said infuriatingly, his fingers clamping into his hair as he faced Oliver, who looked like he was struggling to breathe. "He'd die."

It was then when Felicity — impeccable timing — walked frantically into the cortex and there was a shout of ecstasy amongst the group of grim people gathered.

"Oh thank god!" Cisco said.

"Lay it on me." Felicity shook her head. "And by on me, I mean give it to me. And by it, I mean the information— what's wrong?"

If it'd been any other time, Felicity's babbling would have been endearing.

Caitlin stepped from the medical bay and into the cortex. "He got whammied by a meta. I did a couple tests on him and from what I could gather, his antibodies are attacking his organs."

"How can that possibly even be... possible?" Felicity asked dubiously. Oliver was a tactical genius and a reckless human being, but he couldn't be sick. Just two days ago, she was ogling him doing reps on the salmon ladder _perfectly_.

"I'm not sure," Caitlin answered. "My best guess, the meta had the ability to control organic cells, program them to do what she wanted through a telepathic link at a subconscious level."

Felicity didn't miss the past tense used. " _Had?_ "

"Yeah, Little Miss Biological Warfare... just... kinda... died?" Cisco supplied before shortly wincing. "I'll come up with something better."

"Wait, back up, so the meta that did this to Oliver is... dead."

"I guess when she was hit with the dark matter," Caitlin said, "she was already dying and thus how she got her ability to manipulate cells."

"Just _g_ _reat._ So now what, the meta gave Oliver an autoimmune disease?"

There was an uncomfortable and suffocating moment of silence that enveloped room. "Sort of. It's happening at a much faster rate. At this point, one of his kidneys has already failed."

"Okay." Felicity's voice was thick with panic. "What's the cure?"

Caitlin quickly averted her gaze with a sigh. Felicity instantly picked up on the immediate change of atmosphere, feeling it go from tense to even more tense.

"What?" She asked, unable to take in the silence anymore.

"For him to become okay again," Kara said, making Felicity jump a little because _wow_ , how did she miss the red caped figure in the room? "He has to confess."

It looked like Felicity's eyes were going to pop out of her head. "Confess?" She tossed her hands in the air in exasperation. "Confess what?! He didn't do anything!"

Kara shrugged and only looked at Barry. Felicity followed her line of sight and gave Barry a look that demanded him to explain. Barry raised his hands in defense. "We _know_ he didn't do anything, but whatever the meta did to him... she said she can only save himself if he tells the truth."

Felicity looked past Caitlin to take a peek at Oliver and he did not look good at all. It looked like he was barely awake and was viciously fighting against what the meta had done to him. She breathed out through her nose with a conviction that told everyone she wasn't going to go down without a fight. In lieu of a verbal request, everyone cleared the room as she stalked her way into the medical bay.

"Are you really going to kill yourself before you're supposed to confess whatever it is you're supposed to confess?!" Felicity yelled as tears rained down on her cheeks on their accord. "Everyone's gone. You can tell me, Oliver."

Oliver gritted his teeth. Sweat covered his entire frame yet he shivered as if he was freezing. "Wouldn't... work."

"What do you mean it wouldn't work? The meta said—"

"I have to... confess... to _them_."

"What are—" Felicity's eyes and mouth opened to almost perfect O's as she realized the gravity of what Oliver was saying. "You mean— Wait, so the meta that did this to you is just some psycho version of Cupid? Are you kidding me?" She kicked at one of the swivel chairs.

She should have known _that_ was the confession he was supposed to give. Oliver was a man of many skills and had many more secrets, but there wasn't a secret he hadn't told Felicity. Every little white lie he'd said, he'd eventually told Felicity. The only secret he'd kept to himself was his... devotion for Barry and Kara. She'd practically had to beat it out of him before he'd told her a few weeks prior. She'd teased him about it, his dirty little secret, but she knew just how much it pained him to not only want _two_ people but also the cruelty in it.

Loving two people was just about as dangerous as it could get when you were a superhero and a hunted one. She knew he loved them both so much that he didn't want to choose, and even if it did come down to choosing, he didn't want to have to make that choice.

"You have to tell them," Felicity eventually said when she couldn't take the silence that crept into the room.

Oliver forced himself to turn his head toward her, and it freaked her out just a little bit because he appeared to be crosseyed now. "Can't."

"I'm sorry but I am _not_ letting Oliver Queen die because he has a crush!" Felicity winced. "Or well, crushes. Whatever! You know what I mean!"

Oliver kept quiet, his lips thinning to a hard line. He looked much worse from when she first walked in. Her hands balled into fists. This man was an idiot despite being extremely formidable with a bow. She marched right up to him and jabbed a finger at his chest.

"I don't know if you know this, but you're being a little bit selfish." Oliver made a face. "Yeah, you heard me. Are you telling me that you haven't noticed Kara's been hanging out a lot more in this Earth? And Barry. Sweet, lovable, pudding-like Barry, quite literally and figuratively, drops everything and comes to your aid when you need it. You know he dropped me once; he thought you were gonna get crushed by a falling beam.

"Maybe they're both hung up over you just as you are over them. And if you take this to your grave, how do you think they're going to react? Barry's lost so many people, Kara's lost her entire planet! Don't put that over them when they've gone through so much loss already.

"You tell them and they don't reciprocate, fine! You'll live! You're Oliver Queen! You'll get over it, I hope... Nope, forget that last part. And if you _do_ tell them and they love you back? Don't lie here and suffer through what could've been."

She didn't know if the tears that slid from the corners of his eyes were from her darn amazing pep talk, or from the sheer pain of what the meta did to him. "Can't... choose."

Felicity scoffed. "And who said you had to choose? Just tell them, Oliver. You're the Green Arrow; since when did the Green Arrow fear something?"

* * *

It'd been an hour, and Oliver had yet to say _something_. Caitlin was just about finished giving Oliver a new drip bag when Barry and Kara stormed in. She quietly and swiftly slipped out of the room, not wanting to be in the crossfires of the Flash's and Supergirl's combined fury.

"I am _not_ going to stand by and watch you die," Barry said in a voice he'd only use on criminals. "So you better just start—"

"I..."

Barry and Kara exchanged glances and rushed at his side. Kara clasped at Oliver's hand that wasn't connected to the IV and Barry had his grip on Oliver's shoulder. Oliver clenched his teeth and groaned in pain.

"Just tell us," Kara gently prodded. "Please."

"I..." Oliver squeezed his eyes shut and his jaw tensed. "I love both of you."

And just like that, he could feel his health reach back to the peak of its perfection; his full strength came back to him and he wasted no time to rip out the IV (he'd rather endure a bleeding vein and the loud reprimand from Caitlin and Felicity than _stay here_ ) and just _get the hell away from here,_ but both Barry and Kara put each of their hands on his chest pushing him down.

He really didn't want to torture himself further, but he just had to _know_ so he looked up and found both of them grinning from ear to ear.

"Just for the record," Kara said, hiccuping a little, "before you got whammied, Barry and I were supposed to ask you out on a date."

Oliver couldn't help it, he smiled too.

From the doorway, Iris high-fived with Felicity while Caitlin murmured under her breath, "If almost dying is what it takes for them to get together, how's their engagement gonna be?"

* * *

 _AN:_ _Thank you for reading. Feel free to leave comment._


End file.
